Ravens player plays game for brother, who died hours before

[Fritzo]

Not often you get a heartwarming story on TMZ:

http://www.tmz.com/2012/09/24/torrey-smith-grandma-we-knew-he-would-win-for-his-brother/

Torrey Smith's family is incredibly proud of the way the NFL star played in last night's Ravens vs. Patriots game ... telling TMZ, his performance was the ultimate tribute to his younger brother, who died just hours before Torrey took the field.

We spoke with Torrey's grandmother, Mary Smith, who tells us Torrey called her to let her know he would be playing and dedicating the game to his 19-year-old brother Tevin Jones who passed away in a motorcycle crash early Sunday morning.

Mary tells us Torrey didn't have to call ... she already knew he was going to play -- telling us, "He wanted to get out there and win that game for his brother and the Lord made that happen for him."



Mary says Smith's entire family gathered at her home in Virginia to watch Torrey play -- "I said look at my grandson. He’s gonna win that game. They have to win the game.”

FYI -- Torrey played the game of his life ... scoring 2 TDs in the Ravens' incredible come-from-behind victory.

Mary says the family was very emotional during the game ... crying both tears of joy and sadness.

“[When he scored his first touchdown] it was wonderful" ... "That was for his little brother.”

Torrey is expected to return home sometime today to help the family with funeral arrangements.

Read more: http://www.tmz.com/2012/09/24/torre...w-he-would-win-for-his-brother/#ixzz27Q2bTRzo

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Dude had a stellar game.

 

[purbeast0]

i wouldn't call that the game of his life. he had 3 catches for 3 tds in his first game ever as a raven.

but yea it's a pretty heartwarming story, but old news since it happened yesterday

 

[Vdubchaos]

Job over family people don't impress me AT ALL.

Classy

 

[ManBearPig]

Yes this seems extremely weird for me too. Did his brother specifically tell him to play or something? If he didn't, it seems like he went to play football instead of being there with his family which is kind of perplexing.

 

[zinfamous]

Job over family people don't impress me AT ALL.

Classy

Random person on internet morality doesn't impress me AT ALL.

 

[JTsyo]

Job over family people don't impress me AT ALL.

Classy

seems it helped the family deal with a sad situation.

 

[purbeast0]

seems it helped the family deal with a sad situation.

yea, what a terrible guy.

 

[Red Storm]

Yes this seems extremely weird for me too. Did his brother specifically tell him to play or something? If he didn't, it seems like he went to play football instead of being there with his family which is kind of perplexing.

This. Heartwarming I guess, but perplexing.

 

[rh71]

wtf I read this as a Ravens player died and his brother who isn't an NFLer took his place.

 

[dbk]

yeah i couldn't believe that he played.. wow

 

[zinfamous]

Yes this seems extremely weird for me too. Did his brother specifically tell him to play or something? If he didn't, it seems like he went to play football instead of being there with his family which is kind of perplexing.

People deal with grief in very different ways. He went home today, or at least soon after the game, to be with his family.

It's absurdly naive to assume that everyone should deal with the grief in the same exact way, or the way that you think they should deal with it. It simply does not work that way.

Judge him for it all you want, but maybe you should ask yourself if this is a guy that truly loves what he does, and maybe you just aren't passionate about something like that? It's one day--one day of his week. It's a 6-day per week job for these people.


Brett Favre did the same when his father died, and also put up one of the best games of his life (probably the best, iirc).

 

[ichy]

Yes this seems extremely weird for me too. Did his brother specifically tell him to play or something? If he didn't, it seems like he went to play football instead of being there with his family which is kind of perplexing.

Maybe it helped him to have something temporarily take his mind off of what happened?

 

[Atomic Playboy]

I don't know about your family, but if my brother died suddenly, I think that there would be an understanding that he'd want me to go out and be successful in that same circumstance; he never wants to seem like he's incoveniencing people. Maybe Smith figured that this was the best way to honor his brother's memory. It seems a bit tactless to pick on a guy for how he chooses to respond to grief.

 

[MetalMat]

Anyone saw this? It was posted in the week 3 thread

The whole city of Baltimore hates her now
http://www.brobible.com/sports/article/most-hated-person-in-baltimore-twitter

 

[Atomic Playboy]

Well at least we can still let our passion for a game debase our humanity in such a grotesque and humiliating way.

 

[SandEagle]

Anyone saw this? It was posted in the week 3 thread

The whole city of Baltimore hates her now
http://www.brobible.com/sports/article/most-hated-person-in-baltimore-twitter

did they interview the whole city? :\ sensationalism in journalism.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

did they interview the whole city? :\ sensationalism in journalism.

A few Ravens fan basically = everyone in Baltimore. This city bleeds purple.